Indian Tennis star Sumit Nagal has made his way into the second round of the Australian Open 2024. Nagal beat world no. 27 Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-2, and 7-6 to enter the next round. Nagal made a strong start, breaking Bublik’s serve right away. After falling back initially in the third set, Nagal made a strong comeback to win the match in straight sets.
This is Sumit Nagal’s fourth main draw appearance in a Grand Slam and his first since 2021. The victory becomes even more iconic because the last time an Indian singles player reached the second round of a Grand Slam was 11 years ago. Nagal also became the First Indian to defeat a seeded player in Grand Slam men’s singles after 1989.
Sumit Nagal secured his spot in the main draw of the Australian Open by defeating Alex Molcan. Nagal’s journey to the main draw involved victories over Geoffrey Blancaneaux, Edward Winter, and Molcan during the qualifying rounds.
This achievement marked the end of a dry spell for Indian singles players in Grand Slam main draws, with Nagal being the last to accomplish this feat in 2021 when he entered the traditional 128-player draws in Melbourne.